Learning to Live
by Team GEMINI
Summary: The story from which "Melt" came from -- Raising a family is difficult, and sometimes it's just too hard to accept that you aren't alone anymore. Responsibilities become greater, but the rewards are priceless.


**Learning to Live**

By Team GEMINI

This is the story from which "Melt" is from. :P

I'm still trying to get everything settled for this story. Chapter 2 is complete, but I just don't have the time for now. As for certain aspects of the story, it will be explained later on, and if people are impatient, they'll just have to wait for the novel which is already in it's semi completed state. :B I'm lazy so I use a lot of the same plot lines. XD

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**Chapter 1**

Hiding in a Box

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Being a parent is usually a dream come true to most adults. To hold your child for the first time and the overwhelming rush of reality when you realize that it just isn't about you anymore. The small child you hold tightly within your arms, the heartwarming sensation of their soft skin, their little hands grasping hold of your finger, the sweet sound of their little gurgles, and the knowledge that you're the one that gave them their heartbeat. It was that sensation that made it all worthwhile.

At first I was terrified, if not absolutely dumbfounded. The idea of being a parent was such a paralyzing feeling for me. I just kind of stood there in the wake of all things, motionless as the fear gripped hold of me. Someone aside from myself and my wife depended on me for support now. I had so many things to think about now and it all came at me in one gigantic tidal wave. Hundreds of new terms and ideals to master, countless things to keep in mind for the future, and what of the present? Will I be a good and effective father or will I be completely incompetent? Will I be strict or will I be lenient? And if neither, will I be passive? Will I take time out of my busy day to just take in the little things in life, or will I take everything for granted and become a workaholic? These questions and many more ran through my head at blinding speeds. These startling thoughts were dizzying. I was mortified at the sheer girth of the many responsibilities I've just accepted onto my shoulders.

The weight of their worlds were literally on my shoulders.

I was a father now. I was married to the perfect woman and our lives were perfect. I was a father now and she a mother.

Dear God, just what on Earth did we get in to?

When my wife woke up with a pain screamed that fateful evening, her hand gripping onto her silk night gown, knuckles white, I come running into our bedroom from my office downstairs. Her pretty blue eyes were wide in fear, her voice trembling and panicked as she screamed at me. She was going into labor and… I was scared shitless.

I was barely an adult and yet here I was...

I picked up my wife bridal style and carried her down into our garage. I had everything ready just for this occasion. I made sure that there wouldn't be a hasty rush to get everything prepared, I was confident I did the right thing.

So I got my wife into one of my fastest cars, double checked if everything we needed was in the back seat, and got onto the road. My tires had screeched shrilly as the powerful V12 engine within my Lamborghini Reventon forced them to move. Even though we were in a really fast car, I still debated with myself whether I should have taken the Honda Civic instead-- either way my seats would have gotten ruined.

The drive to the hospital was a quick one since I had broken so many speeding laws just getting there, but I had my older brother cover for me in exchange for something he wanted, a limited edition ferret beanie baby which I found at a toy store five years ago. I went through red lights, whizzed through a pedestrian crossing without second thought (minus the pedestrian who threw his shoe at my car), drove on the side walk for a split second, and cut off so many people I'd have to make a public apology either tomorrow or the day after. But hey, I had no choice. My wife scared me half to death; the good citizens would just have to forgive me for now.

I'm really not kidding, my wife scares me.

The sound of excited men was comical when I pulled up in the Lamborghini. Seeing as I had called the hospital during my mad dash, they were ready for us when we arrived at their doors. It was all happening so fast, one moment I was running alongside the doctors as they wheeled my wife into the hospital, and next thing I knew, I was telling the receptionist about how I sped past my own police escort with a hearty laugh.

Fifteen hours of labor for her equaled to fifteen hours of excruciating pain for me. My wife had decided to take out all of her pain and suffering onto me, so by the time she had fully dilated I was well on my way to the morgue.

Nah, I'm just kidding.

What really happened was the nurse that had stood behind me was at the wrong place at the wrong moment, and when I ducked away from my wife's pregnant fury. Well you can guess who got (badly) hurt.

My wife was a real trooper all through the three phases of labor. She only swore every few minutes and cursed my very existence every now and then, she also resorted to violence every so often, but the pain was tolerable... to an extent. I had asked her to just accept the doctor's offer for the caesarean section because I was frightened at the thought of her in pain, but she had refused it and opted for 'her original plan'. She said that this was her first delivery and that it was special so she wanted to do it the old fashioned way... only with _way… way_ more drugs involved.

It took fifteen hours of labor and three hours of sedated pushing for our twins to be born; our twin daughters were born healthy and without any complications. Our first child was about five pounds and nine ounces, and our second who was born ten minutes after the first, and she was four pounds and six ounces.

I can still recall her calling out to me. "Fate-chan... Fate-cha-..." she called out weakly, her voice failing her at the last syllable. The room around me disappeared and all I could see was the tired woman who unconditionally loved me. My feet began to move on their own, and within the blink of an eye, I was by her side. Unmovable.

I still remember the exhausted look on her beautiful face. Her hair was matted to her cheeks, the clips that she once had on her hair were placed on the small table, discarded during the birth. She was breathing slowly, but I knew deep down she was trying her best to keep herself calm. Even now I still don't know how to describe the way she looked, and all the words I had in my extensive vocabulary greatly paled in comparison. These words I pick: beautiful, breath taking, awestruck, speechless, mesmerizing, heartwarming, and-and... oh who am I kidding? These words are so cliché a poet would drop kick me if I dare voice them. But how else can I describe this scene? The way she looked in that hospital gown as she held our new born daughters in each arm, eyes narrowed slightly from fatigue, the sweat rolling down her cheek--I think I've finally found the words. I fell deeper in love with her.

I can still vividly remember how I first held our first born. My left arm cradled her carefully, but she was so small I swear I could have held her in the palm of my hands, in fact I did. The smile on my face was irrevocable. This little girl and her twin sister would cause me trouble someday, and when that day comes will I be able to handle it?

I started to doubt my dependability as I continued to look at my little girl. The secret trysts that my wife and I planned in the past will be taking a back seat. We're parents now, but was I ready? Were _we_ ready? I don't know. I must sound so contradicting. I'm proud to finally have children of my own, but am I really ready to be caring for another life, let alone two?

I continued to ponder about these insecurities of mine.

A few hours passed since then and our friends and family took a moment out of their busy schedules to see us in the hospital. My wife was sleeping soundly, her head just below my left arm, and her lithe form snuggling as close as it could to my body. I hadn't left her side since she got moved into her own room not too long ago; however, the doctors had told me to get some breakfast while they moved her. I told the doctors I would be fine and that I just wanted to be by her side, but they still forced me to go get something. Following doctors orders I got some crackers and ran back up as fast as I could, meeting them in the hallway with a smug grin on my face.

My mothers had been the first ones to arrive; my wife was still sleeping when the two women had showed up at our room. With them they had a clear glass vase containing: red Roses, Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lilies), orange Carnations, white Chrysanthemums, Myrtle, a bundle of baby's breath, some decorative green berries, and one sunflower. Why must everyone make fun of my hair? Seriously, why? This joke has been going on since I was fifteen, but now that I'm twenty five--I think it got worse.

Precia T. Harlaown is my biological mother. She and my father have long since divorced due to insufferable differences; it was a mutual break up that left both parties happy. It was actually rather obvious why their marriage was falling apart. One my mother had spent her time chasing after Police Chief Lindy Harlaown, and two my father was having an affair with a local business man. People usually wonder why I had chosen to marry another woman, but my reply would simply be, "Blame the ones who raised me" and everything would make perfect sense. Though having my father and my mother acting as if they were the best of friends is still something I have yet to get used too.

My mother was my hero. Smart, beautiful, talented, kind, loving, and very wise, to me my mother was the world's greatest. She was always there for me and my sister, always teaching and pushing us to go out into the world and experience new things. Whenever I had game or entered into a talent show, my mother would always be in the front row watching while she had her personal assistant record the events. But this kind loving mother was only there in my eyes, to the rest of the world she was a cruel, heartless business woman with one thing on her mind: money.

I hated how everyone treated my mother, their hurtful remarks, condescending beliefs about her, and so much more. I actually landed in jail defending my mother's honor during my second year of junior high school; actually getting arrested was the sub-header in this story. My kind mother had met the whimsical Police Chief that fateful day, and thus began their relationship--gee this will make a great story to tell my girls. "Guess what guys, Grandma and Grandma met because Daddy got thrown in jail!" Oh yeah great story indeed.

Next to visit was my older brother Chrono with his wife Amy, and their twin children. My brother and I shared a good "man laugh" together, chuckling at the fact both our wives had twins, but this laughter was code for "Holy crap Lil'Sis you are so screwed" and "I know! Aha, I can't believe I failed just as much as you did!"

Everyone in the room with us didn't understand the significance of our special _man _bond.

After my brother and I got into a heated discussion of why I was doomed, my twin sister Alicia waltz into the room that big goofy grin she always had on her face. And along with her my best friend Fukugawa Arumi, or Arf as I like to call her, ran in and literally jumped me. My wife was awake by the time Chrono had arrived so she gave Alicia a warm welcome and a, "Whoa! Why are your boobs still bigger than mine?" side comment and gave Arf her trademark, "Ossu!".

My sister had laughed at my wife's comment and flashed a little cleavage to taunt her. I've always hated how hostile they acted when they were in the same room together. Their fights were always loud and annoying, but extremely arousing. Their last fight was about their top ten favorite sex positions and how to perform them correctly, but now their current topic was about why Alicia's breasts were still bigger than my wife's even though she had just given birth.

Arf practically ignored my sister and my wife, opting to annoy me instead about what I was going to name my new born children. This question had stopped my wife's quarrel with my twin and our eyes had locked in an awkward gaze. Arf picked up on the gaze and burst out into a rather loud fit of laughter, a hot blush appearing on my face as everyone began to pick up on what was so funny.

My sister had said, "Oh, oh! Name one Felicia!"

"Why?" my wife and I ask at the same time.

"Easy, it's Feito and Alicia put together!" the grin on my sister's face was as goofy as she, but the look my wife shot my twin told her our answer. "Aw, fine... party poopers."

"Fate, are you serious? You two seriously haven't thought of names?" my mother asks me with an exasperated sigh. She crossed her arms, eyebrow quirked, and glowered at me. I felt myself shrink under her scrutinizing gaze. "Think of something, now. Be it Bob or Steve, name them. Right. Now."

I let out a high pitched yelped when my mother stomped her foot. "Aa!" I yelped, arms covering my head for protection. "Fine! Fine! Fine! Bob and Steve! Bob and Steve!"

"Fate-chan..." a quiet grumble resounded and pretty blue eyes narrowed in anger.

"Meep..." both Arf and I cringe at the glare my wife sent me.

"Honestly, Lil'Sis do what I did," Chrono perked up. "Write some names, put 'em in a hat, and draw baby draw!" Chrono laughed heartily and cried out when Amy's elbow met with his groin. The fully grown man fell to the ground like a mighty redwood tree, felled by the chainsaw of the world's most feared lumberjack, Amy T. Harlaown--she scares me too.

"Um I was kind of hoping you'd name them." I said to my wife with a nervous laugh.

"But you're their father! You _have_ to name them." she replied, arms crossed below her chest.

I gulped and replied, "Bu-But... I can't name anything! I mean look what I nicknamed Arf!"

"It's true, it's true!" Arf replied with a cheeky grin.

"Now-now kids, how about you both name one?" my mother Lindy said with a perky smile on her face. My wife and I looked at each other momentarily and pondered where that was a good idea, and my mother had someone noticed this small pause. "Or do you want your mother and I to name them for you?"

"Kokoro!" my wife yelped.

"Kiseki!" I added.

"Vocaloid!" my brother proclaimed.

"Stay out of this Onii-chan!" I shouted angrily at my brother who was still on the floor, his face planted firmly on the tiles with his hands cradling his manhood.

My wife and I stared at each other again and turned our gazes over to my parents. My Mother Precia seemed stoic on the topic, but my Lindy "Mama" seemed content with our choice. We waited a moment for Mother's answer with our breaths withheld. My mother's auburn mane swung slowly as she tilted her head to face her wife.

"I approve."

"I do as well."

A smiled appeared on my face when I heard of my Mother's approval. I quickly turned my gaze over to my wife; she too had a bright smile on her face. So now, we are the proud parents of two healthy little girls named "Kokoro" and "Kiseki", our heart and miracle.

My world was going to change for the better. I'm sure of it.

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My name is Fate T. Harlaown. Second daughter born to Precia T. Harlaown, and third child of Lindy T. Harlaown. As of now, I am the owner of GEMINI Incorporated, one of Japan's most successful company. I was branded as the "Fourth Richest Woman in Japan" _for now_. People knew I wouldn't stop at being fourth; I was destined to be number one in the land of the rising sun.


End file.
